Gaffer pre-match

Vale kick off the new League One season against Brentford here at Vale Park on Saturday afternoon and Micky Adams is well aware of the threat the Bees pose.

He said: “Brentford are one of my old clubs and I was fortunate enough to manage them for a brief spell, I got them relegated mind, but I’m not taking all of the blame for that.

“They were well on the way when I got there, but couldn’t hang on to our First Division status then.

“Last season has been well documented. They were very unfortunate to lose out in the play-offs.

“The events of the play-off game against Doncaster Rovers will live ling in the memories of not only Brentford fans but football fans in general.”

the division’s favourites for promotion. Since then Bees’ boss Uwe Rosler has added nine fresh faces to the squad and his team have understandably been installed as one of

Adams continued: “Uwe has been backed very well by his Chairman and Directors and he has put together a very formidable squad.

“I watched them against Cardiff City on Tuesday night and for the first fifteen minutes they looked as if the were going to get out-passed, out-played and out-scored.

“But they managed to grind their way back into the game and ended up eventually winning it against a Premier League side so that shows you the quality that they possess.

“They are second favourites and that says it all, we are up against it on Saturday, I would expect Brentford to be there or thereabouts in the automatic positions, not the play-offs at the end of the season.

“We have got to stand up and be counted, answer the critics and prove that we are good enough to compete at this level.”

In a message for the supporters ahead of the game, Micky said: The message is quite simple – get behind the boys.

“It is not always going to go our way, it didn’t always go our way last season, but their support not necessarily when the times are good, but when the times are not so good is going to be important.

“They have got to get behind each and every individual at the club and if they do that, we will hopefully put a side together that they can justifiably be proud of and we will try our best.”